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Arbitrary

7 dictionary results for: arbitrary

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ar·bi·trar·y

[ahr-bi-trer-ee] Pronunciation Key adjective, noun, plural -trar·ies.

–adjective

1.	subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision.

2.	decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.

3.	having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical: an arbitrary government.

4.	capricious; unreasonable; unsupported: an arbitrary demand for payment.

5.	Mathematics. undetermined; not assigned a specific value: an arbitrary constant.

–noun

6.	arbitraries, Printing. (in Britain) peculiar (def. 9).

[Origin: 1400–50; late ME < L arbitrārius uncertain (i.e., depending on an arbiter's decision). See arbiter, -ary

]

—Related forms

ar·bi·trar·i·ly

[ahr-bi-trer-uh-lee, ahr-bi-trair-] Pronunciation Key, adverb

ar·bi·trar·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ar·bi·trar·y (är'bĭ-trěr'ē) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle: stopped at the first motel we passed, an arbitrary choice.
Based on or subject to individual judgment or preference: The diet imposes overall calorie limits, but daily menus are arbitrary.
Established by a court or judge rather than by a specific law or statute: an arbitrary penalty.
Not limited by law; despotic: the arbitrary rule of a dictator.

[Middle English arbitrarie, from Latin arbitrārius, from arbiter, arbitr-, arbiter; see arbiter.]

ar'bi·trar'i·ly (-trâr'ə-lē) adv., ar'bi·trar'i·ness n.

Synonyms: These adjectives mean determined by or arising from whim or caprice rather than judgment or reason: an arbitrary decision; a capricious refusal; a whimsical remark.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
arbitrary

1424 (in arbitrament), "deciding by one's own discretion," from L. arbitrarius, from arbiter (see arbiter). The original meaning gradually descended to "capricious" (1646) and "despotic" (1642).

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

arbitrary
adjective
based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice; "an arbitrary decision"; "the arbitrary rule of a dictator"; "an arbitrary penalty"; "of arbitrary size and shape"; "an arbitrary choice"; "arbitrary division of the group into halves" [ant: nonarbitrary]

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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ar·bi·trary
Pronunciation: 'är-b&-"trer-E
Function: adjective
1 : depending on individual discretion (as of a judge)and not fixed by standards, rules, or law <the manner of punishment is arbitrary>
2 a : not restrained or limited in the exercise of power <an arbitrarygovernment> b : marked by or resulting from the unrestrained exercise of power <protection from arbitrary arrest and detention>
3 a : based onpreference, bias, prejudice, or convenience rather than on reason or fact <an arbitrary standard> <different provisions for the married and the unmarried were irrational andarbitrary —K. A. Cohen> b : existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as an unreasonable act of individual will without regard for facts or applicablelaw —often used in the phrase arbitrary and capricious <an agency finding or conclusion of lack of evidence would be arbitrary and capricious if the record afforded nosubstantial basis for such a finding —Irvin v. Hobby, 131 Federal Reporter Supp. 851 (1955)>
NOTE: Under section 706 of the Administrative Procedure Act, a court shall set asidean agency's action, findings, or conclusions determined upon review to be arbitrary. —ar·bi·trar·i·ly /"är-b&-'trer-&-lE/ adverb —ar·bi·trar·i·ness /'är-b&-"trer-E-n&s/ noun

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Arbitrary

Ar`bi*tra"ri*ous\, a. [L. arbitrarius. See Arbitrary.] Arbitrary; despotic. [Obs.] -- Ar`bi*tra"ri*ous*ly, adv. [Obs.]

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